07.02 Day 23 Chiang Rai
Day 23 - Wednesday 7th Feb - Chiang Rai
I suspect that in most places, certainly in SE Asia, we’ll find sights and attractions that feature in the window of every hopeful tour agency that 48 hours prior to arriving in the new town or city, we had no idea existed. So it is with Chiang Rai, this small town of 200,000 (down from 1.2m in Chiang Mai, down from 11m in Bangkok) - evidenced by the Blue Temple yesterday, and today the White Temple, followed by Singha Park.
A half hourly local bus is an option for the 12km required, but with 4 of us a Grab taxi costs only 30 baht more with less waiting around and door-to-door service. We’re dropped outside and are immediately struck by this fantastical, Disney-esque (with a dark side) gleaming white temple. Wat Rong Khun to give it its actual name is another new temple, only opened in 1997.
The gleaming white structure is just one within a complex for which the completion is not expected until 2070 - though not to say it's a building site. The vision of the local artist, it's not a completely altruistic project - he sees it as an offering to the Lord Buddha and hopes it will give him immortal life.
As Kate says, you can tell it’s newer from the logistical set up - there’s parking and a drop off zone, there’s space for market stalls and the entrance is off to the side so as not to ruin the first impression views.
Crossing a smooth edged fish filled pond and also a pit of carved hands reaching out from the underworld the stream of visitors are taking photos from every angle - Instagram must be flooded daily with images from here.
We admire the intricate details of mythical creatures from where the sun reflects off millions of pieces of silver and small mirror pieces. Inside is rather plain in comparison, though images of Neo from the Matrix, Kung Fu Panda, aircraft from Star Wars on one of the walls seem at odds with the three Buddhas they are facing. Outside in a small man-made rock formation there are also 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles along with Splinter.
Not content with having the whitest temple, there is also another moat-surrounded temple entirely painted in gold. Overall well worth a visit from a voyeurism point of view but perhaps less so if you’re seeking the path to enlightenment.
With a stream of tourists arriving by bike, minivans on tours, or in taxis it’s easy to Grab to our next attraction a few kms away - Singha Park. This area where the founding family of the popular beer brand first grew barley is now an agri-tourism spot.
A large gold lion greets you on a raised mound (Singha = Lion). There is a loop to be driven so we make use of the small shuttle buses - more like an oversized golf cart - running every 15 mins to get around. It’s only 3-4 minutes between each stop, but we are glad we didn’t try to walk it in the glaring sun.
First stop is a swan lake, where there is also the opportunity to drop fish feed down some sloping gutter into the flapping fish frenzy below. Hopping on the next shuttle we arrive to a flower garden which is beautifully in bloom - this park hosts a hot air balloon fiesta every year and it’s on in a fortnight - preparations are visibly underway. We all get to sample different floral flavours of tea, though none come close to English Breakfast Tear with milk for Kate.
The 3rd stop is a small farm with a paddock of zebras and giraffes on one side, Shetland ponies and large horned cows on the other. At the bottom of the hill is a small petting zoo, where for 50 baht the kids get a chance to feed the rabbits, sheep and parrots.
The 4th stop is a low point for Seb where he’s told he can't do the 5 storey 800m zipline even when it’s not our fault he doesn’t meet the minimum weight. In the end, he’s quickly won over with a can of Singha Lemon Soda at the final stop; a cafe and restaurant with sweeping views over the immaculate tea plantations.
After lunch across the road with the same grandmother and granddaughter we’d fallen in sync with on the shuttle bus we taxi back to Chiang Rai.
After a few hours in the room / on the roof / in the communal kitchen doing school work we’re about to head for dinner when suddenly Seb is bent over with stomach cramps, so Sienna and I hit the streets to source simple takeaway food and as an added bonus find a roti cart. Only 12 baht for plain and 20 baht for egg. Seb of course bounces back, and I'm sent out to get 4 more rotis. After the kids go to bed I go out for a walk and by chance walk past the golden clock tower on a roundabout at 8pm on the dot at which point it puts on a light and music show for the snappy happy tourists lining the pavements.
